


Home with You

by Goodnightwife



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Blake Shelton & Michael Buble’s “Home”, Christmas Fic Exchange 2017, Christmas gift, F/M, Joanna McCoy - Freeform, Modern AU, it’s beginning to look a lot like Star Trek 2017, travel blogger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 06:03:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15989171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goodnightwife/pseuds/Goodnightwife
Summary: Modern AU, reader is a travel blogger trying to make it home to Len & Joanna for Christmas, to Blake Shelton & Michael Buble’s “Home”





	Home with You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CapandIronMansGurl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapandIronMansGurl/gifts).



> This was originally posted on Tumblr Dec 25, 2017

_Another summer day has come and gone away_  
_In Paris and Rome_  
_But I want to go home._

Being a travel blogger was a dream come true for you. Traveling all over the world, seeing things that many people can’t even imagine, you lived for the joy of showing those things to people online. Pictures, interviews, and articles about major cities, extreme deserts, and dripping wet jungles fueled your life and gave you energy. With no family to speak of, the world was your oyster and you were free to have adventures until your heart’s content. That is, until that fateful day when you met a handsome, dark-haired man who taught you the joys of home.

Meeting Dr. Leonard McCoy and his daughter Joanna a few years ago changed your outlook on life. They quickly filled your life and you heart with the love you didn’t know you were missing and gave you something to come home to. It never used to matter if you had close friends to call at a moment’s notice. It never used to matter if someone knew which country you were in this week. It never used to make you lonely to take a picture of a happy family. A voice on the phone never used to make your heart leap for joy and want to be with them.

_May be surrounded by a million people I,_  
_Still feel all alone_  
_I want to go home_  
_Oh, I miss you, you know._

Finally finishing your last article and photo shoot before Christmas, you pick up your phone and open the text messages to read the three messages that have been waiting patiently all morning for your reply.

**Len** : Miss you darlin’, can’t wait to see you soon!

**JoJo** : Y/N! you’re coming home soon right? It’s not Christmas without you.

**Jim** : Not to alarm you, Y/N, but if you’re not at the table for Christmas dinner in two days, I can’t be held responsible for what happens to your pie…

With a grin, you answered Joanna first. You had gotten her a phone right before you left on this trip, much to Leonard’s annoyance. She was the smartest 12 year old you knew, was better with technology than any adult you had ever seen, and you loved texting with her.

**You** : I’m going to do everything I can to be there. I miss you so much J-bean! <3  
**JoJo** : Yay! Dad will be so happy! He’s grumpy today.  
**You** : Grumpier than normal?  
**JoJo** : Hard to say, you should just come check for yourself.  
**You** : Yes ma’am!

Flipping back to the main screen, you sent two sentences back to Leonard’s best friend and permanent fixture in his house and received an immediate reply.

**You** : It would be a shame if those pictures from last March found their way onto my blog, Kirk. Back up off my pie!  
**Jim** : Yes ma’am.

Satisfied with the safety of your favorite dessert, you flipped to Len’s text. Your heart had started fluttering this morning when you saw his name light up on your screen and it hadn’t stopped yet.

**You** : I miss you too, Len. JoJo says you’re grumpy today. Any truth to that?  
**Len** : Maybe a little. Didn’t mean to let it show though.  
**You** : Anything I can do to help?  
**Len** : Come home.

Your heart hammered in your chest with so many words you wanted to reply with, but you tucked them all away to say in person.

_And I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you_  
_Each one a line or two_  
_I'm fine baby, how are you_  
_I would send 'em but I know that it's just not enough_  
_My words were cold and flat and you deserve more than that._

Waiting in line to board the plane from Rome to Charles De Gaulle airport in France, you allowed yourself a little day dream. Christmas has always been one of your favorite times of the year, even before Len and JoJo, and you always try to be somewhere in the US around that time, it felt like home more than any other country. You love seeing the lights and other decorations, but it was more than that. It was the spirit of the season. The sounds of joy floating like music through the air. And now, memories of Len’s laughter, JoJo’s squeals of delight, even Jim’s voice calling for help from the kitchen when the smoke alarm starts beeping all warmed your heart. With a smile you hand over your ticket to be scanned and you made your way down to the plane.

_Another airplane, another sunny place_  
_I'm lucky I know, but I wanna go home_  
_I've got to home._

Settling in for the two hour flight, you decide to get the last of your trip posted so that you can focus on more important matters. It didn’t take long to toss the already completed blog post and the photos online and you begin surfing Amazon for a gift for Joanna. Thanking the maker for Amazon Prime and Jim for letting you ship things to him, you quickly find what you’re looking for and purchase it. You already had something special tucked away in your luggage for Len. Quickly finding something for Jim, you snap your laptop closed just as the lights begin to blink to prepare for landing.

_Let me go home._   
_I'm just too far from where you are, I want to come home,_

**You** : Just landed in France. Two hour layover, then the long flight to Atlanta.  
**Len** : I’ll be there when you land, make sure you eat something good and drink plenty of water. Flying in those tin cans will dehydrate you.  
**You** : Yes dear. ;-)

_And I feel just like I'm living someone else's life_  
_It's like I just stepped outside when everything was going right_  
_And I know just why you could not come along with me_  
_This was not your dream_  
_But you always believed in me_

Sitting at your gate with a sandwich and bottle of water in hand, you began one of your favorite pastimes: people watching. Sitting in international airports afforded you the opportunity to see people from so many different walks of life and Charles De Gaulle was no exception. In the midst of the hundreds of people making their way from gate to gate, a small family caught your eye. A husband and wife with two children, one in a stroller. There wasn’t anything different about them from the hundreds of families you had observed during your travels, but for some reason, this one stayed on your mind. The dark-haired father took special care to always hold the hand of their older child who looked to be about three years younger than Joanna and the mother bent to check on the child in the stroller with a smile playing on her lips.

You had never thought you wanted a family of your own until Len and JoJo. Even with Jim playing the crazy uncle, the little family you had fallen into owned your heart. Picking up your phone, you looked again at Len’s last text message as you formulate your reply.

**You** : Miss you too. When I land in Atlanta, can we take the long way home and talk a bit?  
**Len** : Already planned on it, I have a few things to talk to you about too.  
**You** : Should I be worried?  
**Len** : See you when you land, darlin’.

Putting your phone away with a frown, you stood with the rest of the passengers to board the plane for the 10 hour flight to Atlanta, Georgia. It wasn’t like Len to be secretive and it had your mind on overdrive. But he had said that he missed you, so what he wanted to talk about couldn’t be too bad. The family of four stood in front of you in line and you overheard a sweet conversation between father and daughter, their obvious American accents wafting above the din of French and other languages.

“Daddy, will Santa know where we are on Christmas?” she asked.

“Of course, Santa always knows,” he replied with a smile.

“But how?” she asked, gloriously exemplifying a child’s curiosity and inability to accept the ‘because I said so’ answer adults often so quickly give. Father faltered and looked to Mother for help.

“Daddy called Santa before we left home to let him know that we were going to Grandma’s for Christmas,” Mother put in, saving Father from his obvious dilemma. The little girl nodded with a wise expression on her small features and Father sent Mother a wink.

_Another winter day has come and gone away_  
_In even Paris and Rome_  
_And I wanna go home,_  
_Let me go home._

Boarding the plane and settling in, you were thankful for the means to fly first class on these long flights. It was rare for a travel blogger to make that kind of money, but Len had insisted when you booked that he be allowed to at least make sure you were as comfortable as possible. On his doctor’s salary, he could certainly afford it. The passenger in the seat next to you looked like a businessman in his mid to late 60’s. He smiled politely as he sat down and stowed his briefcase for take-off. Pulling your phone out, you sent one last text to Lenard before flipping into Airplane mode.

**You** : About to take off. I’ll text when I’m on the ground again.  
**Len** : Have a good flight, can’t wait to see you darlin’.

_And I'm surrounded by a million people I,_  
_Still feel alone and I want to go home_  
_Oh, I miss you, you know_  
_Let me go home._

The first few hours of the flight were uneventful and quiet. You started some research for your next trip after New Year’s, wondering if Len could take some time off from the hospital to come with you. The man next you took notice of what you were reading.

“Africa, huh? Planning a trip?” he asked in a heavy New York accent.

“I’m thinking about it. I’m a travel blogger and I’ve never been to this part of Africa before,” you replied, never one to shy away from chatting with strangers. You had already learned that the best stories come from the least expected places, so don’t discount anyone.

“I hear ya gotta watch out for the natives there,” he said thoughtfully.

“Well that’s true anywhere,” you laugh. He laughs and nods along with you. “Are you heading home for the holidays?” you asked, keeping the conversation going.

“Home,” the man sighs. “Yes. I’m ready to be home. My wife is ready too. I have missed my family this trip, I guess it’s because it’s so close to Christmas.”

“Do you have children?”

“Two, and four grandchildren,” he replied. “I’m ready to see them all.” He pulled a handful of well-worn pictures from a pocket in his briefcase and began showing off his family. He was particularly proud of his newest grandchild, who was only a month old and he hadn’t actually seen in person yet. You smiled with him, listened to his stories, and laughed at the antics of his family. He had stories of his children when they were born all the way to the birth of the latest grandchild and it was obvious that he loved every minute he got to spend with his family.

“And you?” he asked finally. “Are you heading home to your family?”

“Yes,” you smile confidently. “I am.” You tell him about Leonard and Joanna, the loves of your life. How you met Len while doing an article on a fundraiser he was a part of at the hospital. How you fell in love with Joanna at first sight and can’t imagine your life without her. Even how Jim brought a joy to your life that you didn’t realize you needed. As you spoke about your small family, you knew exactly what you wanted to say to Leonard when you finally saw him.

_I've had my run,_  
_Baby I'm done_  
_I'm coming back home_  
_Let me go home._

A small meal, a nap, and many hours of flying later, you bumped onto the Atlanta runway. Your heartbeat picked up as you looked out the small window to saw the huge airport, knowing that Leonard was in there somewhere. Flipping your phone out of airplane mode, you shot off a quick text to him.

**You** : Just landed.  
**Len** : Just parked.

Saying goodbye to your flying companion and wishing him happy holidays with his family, you rush through the airport to baggage claim. While waiting for your bags, you keep a lookout for Len. Scanning every face you could, you don’t find him. Deciding that maybe he’s waiting outside, you sigh and wait for your bags to come around the carousel. He said he was here. He has to be here. Your first suitcase rounds the bend and you quickly grab it and set it at your feet. Looking around again, you don’t see him. Maybe he was at the wrong carousel, there were only 20 of them. Trying your best to keep your spirits up and not let your imagination run away with you about what he wanted to talk about, you wait for your other bag as patiently as possible. While formulating a plan in your head on how to find Len, you see your bag come towards you. Leaning down to grab the handle, a deep voice stops you in your tracks.

“Hey babe.”

Turning with a smile, you are face to face with him. Seeing his face causes all your worries to fall away and with a squeal of delight you wrap your arms around his neck and revel in the feel of his strong arms around your waist, holding you as close as possible. Leaning back to look into his eyes, you see them crinkle in the corners when he smiles back at you. Caught between wanting to memorize his face and wanting to kiss it off of him, you hesitate. He does not. Taking your face in his sure hands, he brings his lips down on yours in a strong kiss, heedless of the many onlookers.

“Ready to go?” he asks when you both can breathe again.

“I have one more bag,” you explain and point to it as it comes around again. Len grabs it and the bag at your feet and leads you to his truck. Hopping in, he starts telling you everything you missed with Joanna and her school crush and how Jim may or may not have embarrassed her to death when the boy came over to do homework one night. You decide to wait until you are nearly out of town before starting on what you want to say to him. But as the exit for home comes up, you look at Leonard with surprise when he breezes right past it. This wasn’t the “long way” that you had talked about taking.

“Where are we going, Len?”

“You’ll see,” he says, reaching over to hold your hand. He continues to dominate the conversation, talking about anything and everything so that you can’t get a word in. He drives to a small park that you know well. It was where you met at the fundraiser’s gala event, A Night in the Park. Hopping out of the truck, he came over to your door, opened it and held his hand out to you. Pulling your coat around you tightly, you took his hand and stepped out. Hand in hand, he walked you around the small duck pond silently, his face a little pensive.

“Len, what’s going on?” you ask.

“There’s something I need to talk to you about, darlin’” he begins hesitantly. “I’ve been thinking about how to say this and I don’t know that there’s any one way that’s better than another so I’m just going to get it out. I know that when we first started seeing each other, I was very clear about not wanting to get married again. And you were fine with that, but I’m getting the feeling recently that you’re not okay with it anymore. You want more.”

With widened eyes, you opened your mouth to stop him before he said what you were afraid he was going to say and break your heart. But he kept talking.

“And I want more.” Leonard held both of your hands tightly and it’s only then that you notice a slight tremble in his normally steady hands. “Y/N, I never hoped that I could find someone to love like I love you. If you will have me and Joanna, and unfortunately Jim too, will you please be my wife?”

You smile down at your feet in an effort to not cry, but tears win anyway. Looking up into his hazel eyes, you see them shine with their own unshed tears as he waits for your answer. He releases one of your hands and pulls a ring from his pocket. It’s everything you never knew you always wanted in an engagement ring.

“Yes, Len. I would love to be your wife.”

He laughs with joy and wraps his arms around your waist and spins in a circle on the cold grass. Setting you down, he slides the ring on your finger and pulls you into his arms for a kiss. His lips sealed over yours while one of his hands made it way into your hair and the other wrapped around your waist. Finally releasing you, he took a deep breath.

“She said yes,” he yells. Two more whoops echo from nearby as Jim and Joanna rush from behind some bushes. Joanna wrapped her arms around your waist and Jim wrapped everyone in a group hug that brought you all to the ground.

“Jim, you big oaf!” you tease him over Joanna’s laughter.

“Yes, but we’re family now so I’m your big oaf,” he teased back. Rolling his eyes, Leonard got everyone up.

“No one will be anyone’s family if we all die from pneumonia,” he said gruffly.

“Alright, hot chocolate at home, I’m cooking an amazing dinner the smoke alarm won’t soon forget!” Jim announced and he and Joanna started racing back to his car. Len sighed as he dropped his arm around your shoulders and a kiss to your temple as you watched them go.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked softly, resting his forehead against your temple. “Joanna and I don’t come without baggage, and I’m not just talking about Jim and his propensity to burn literally everything he cooks.”

“I’m sure, Len,” you smile up at him and stretch to drop a kiss on his lips. “I want this. We’re family.”

_It'll all be alright,_  
_I'll be home tonight_  
_I'm coming back home_


End file.
